Your dolls after your death...

Hello, hope that everything's going better. (Cause this post is two years old.)
Well, I will probably live alone, so, I won't be sure what will happen to them (if I got one) when I die. If a close friend wants to keep them It would be really ... cool. If they're in need and they have to sell them I won't find that bad.

 

Insurance is worth considering. You'll probably need a "rider" on your home owner's or renter's insurance since most policies have (low) limits on what they'll pay for collectibles. Your insurance company might require photos and proof of worth/receipts to write the policy/rider. The value of your collection tends to grow over time and it can be surprising how much your bjds would cost to replace. Let's hope no one loses their collection during their lifetime.

 

We were talking about my death once with my man, and contrary to what I had expected, he said he would keep the dolls, at least a couple that I spend most time with, as they have almost everything made by me, from faceup to clothes. However legally that is not possible for him as I have not made a will, and therefore according to law if I pass, my belongings will be passed to my parents and if they no longer live, my siblings, as me and my spouse are not married. I have brought it up to my spouse that we should make a mutual will. If I suddenly pass before I get that done, I hope my parents don't fight over the dolls and that they can keep close to my spouse during the grief time and be generous if my spouse wants to have them.

It's ironic that I work at a law office and always tell people that in their place I would be worried that I do not have a will, but in reality I haven't made said will for myself. Of course they wouldn't know

As for insurance, luckily my home insurance covers my doll collection, and I have even gotten a doll replaced by them when I dropped it accidentally.

 

My friend who got me into the hobby would likely get all of my dolls. She would be the only person I know who would a) know how to take care of them, and b) wouldn't just leave them in a box to never see the light of day again. There's one friend who has had an interest in joining the hobby and could get one, but I don't think I' ever have the heart to let my group get split up.

 

Both my younger sisters are in the hobby, so my dolls are the one thing I'm not worried about-- they might sell off most of my collection, but they could also integrate their favorites from my collection into their own.

 

A very good question to think about and take care of everything in advance. Life won't last forever.
However... this thought sometimes makes me paranoid. What if I shouldn't buy a one more doll?
It is unknown how many months it will take for her to arrive. This is another of many dolls that someone will have to deal with,
If something happens to me, sooner or later. Anxious feeling.
I think the dolls will go to my friend. He likes dolls. And for my family, selling them will be an unnecessary trouble. Don't know if they get more money or hassle out of it.
But to be honest, I'm not really worried about what will happen, the main thing is that the dolls are not thrown away, that's it.

 

I have a few friends that know what my dolls are worth and they can help my husband sell them. Right now I don't have enough dolls to make it stressful for him anyway. I try to keep my collection small. I have to say though, since I will be dead I am not really worried about it

 

I have a friend picked out for both of my dolls, and for the rest of my collections each item has a person I'd like to have the item when I die. I don't really care what they do with the items, but I picked based on who would appreciate them the most. For my dolls it's based on one friend who would have sentimental value and another who could always use the money. I plan on writing the list out when I make my advance directive, but since my only living family member won't try and pursue anything I own, I doubt I'll make an actual will.

 

If I die with no children or before my brother, then they're definitely going to my brother. He also collects things as a hobby and I'm confident he can take care of my dolls and he'll know where to sell them if he needs to.

 

This thought came across my mind all the time. I think if I ever passed in any kind of accidental deaths, I would probably send all the dolls to one of my friend, whom I know will care for my doll family and understand the importance of it. If I manage to grow old and have enough means in life, I actually dream of opening a little store/museum/coffee shop of the sort that feature the dolls, and after I'm gone I guess I can let some other people manage it? Like a museum of dolls, and all those dolls out there that people once cherished can be send over there to be displayed. Just an idea though, but it'd be really nice if it can actually happen!

 

I have thought about this a lot since I work in Hospice and often see different amounts of preparedness. I personally have an Excel spreadsheet that lays out all of the sculpt names, where/who they were purchased from, what I paid for them and what you could expect to sell them for.

I continue to keep up with the sheet and I have shared it with my parents on the off chance that something happens to me and the extra funds are needed.

I would love to say that my dolls would go to my family, but sometimes that isn't feasible.

 

Resurrecting this thread because I was thinking about this and it’s the most recent one on this topic I could find. I’m thinking about adding a small colored dot, maybe a sticker, the size of pencil eraser to my dolls somehow and color coding their approximate value in $50 increments. Another option would be to give them each a number and make a simple catalog which can be kept in the filing cabinet. I have a lot of ot dolls so I will do this for my entire collection. Then maybe my husband, if we are together at the time, or my kids can find a place to auction them. My daughter might keep a few but her style is a lot different from mine.

 

Just be aware that you'll have to update it often. Values can change wildly over the years.

 

I've recorded what I paid at purchase in a google doc for the friend I'm leaving my dolls to. I'm not going to even bother tracking their values.

 

I plan to put their original purchase price and a current value with a $50 range, maybe I’ll update it once a year. I don’t have anything super rare that the values really fluctuate a lot on. Also my family won’t be looking for making money back that I paid just sell them for fair prices.

 

I'm likely far too young to be thinking about making a will, but I'm honestly not sure what I'd do with any of my possessions post-death, let alone my dolls, BJD and otherwise.

None of my immediate nor extended family have any of the same interests as me, and none of my friends like BJD much at all. One of my friends likes dolls in general, so if I ever have a large number of dolls I might dedicate some to her in the case of my passing, but we're the same age, so if I passed of old-age, that wouldn't really make a lot of sense to do. I wouldn't trust my family to understand the value of anything I own or to sell them accordingly; they'd sooner throw everything into a landfill since I don't really own anything "of value" to them. Though I suppose that's why we make wills!

Most of the dolls I plan to buy and customize (and the one I currently have) are based on personal characters that mean a lot to me, so selling them to strangers feels a bit, I don't know...odd? Granted I wouldn't be around to know, but still. I'd definitely have most of my doll clothes and props sold, however, as I'd like those things to cycle back into the community.

Is being buried with your possessions also a thing we can do? I think being buried alongside one or two of my most personal dolls would be a nice sentiment. I suppose they'd place them in the coffin, but I wonder if that might look a bit strange at a funeral.

 

We lost my grandmother from a sudden heart attack last year...and we are still dealing with it all (emotionally and the physical stuff/probate). She collected sooo many dolls (not BJDs) and unfortunately what she thought would have some value...just wasn't. Prior to passing, she did mention some things that she'd like done and that's what we've done. We kept many dolls, given them to other family, and donated the last to a thrift store that directly benefited the children's hospital she had originally wanted to donate them too (they aren't accepting physical toys due to the pandemic so this was the next best thing).

It's not weird at all to place things in the casket/coffin. We did that for both of my grandparents. So you certainly could request it!

For me, I've made it clear to my family that these dolls have value, and they're welcome to keep any or sell if needed. I've got a little list going (with pictures) to help with identification. If they end up using that list (to hopefully get near their full value) then great. If not, at least they know that they shouldn't just toss them into the donation box or trash.

 

Oh, it's a really good idea to include pictures! I think I should update my list. I have someone who they are meant to go to but gods only know who will have to work with them when I'm gone. Pictures would make it much easier.

 

I had a serious health scare this past year and it made me consider everything. I have left a list of my dolls, what I paid and what they could "be worth". Like others have said, these dolls have value and I want my family to have that.